Natural-looking skin is influenced by a number of physiological and genetic factors. Standard definitions of beautiful skin include skin having a transparent quality with uniform undertones of color (i.e. rosy red cheeks). The basis for this natural-looking appearance is in the skin structure itself. The outer layer of human skin is a semi-transparent layer known as the stratum corneum. The transparency of the stratum corneum permits glimpses of the deeper layers of skin, where blood vessels and pigments reside; the reddish hue of the blood vessels' hemoglobin, and the brown/black hue of melanin, the primary skin pigment, combine to produce (what we view as) the skin's color. Of course, in addition to ideal skin having the transparent look with a uniform color distribution, it should also be smooth and even, with no apparent surface flaws. Only a few individuals can ever hope to meet such a standard without some outside assistance. Thus, a wide variety of cosmetics exist to help out where nature has failed.
Although makeup is worn on facial skin, it has not mimicked the actual appearance of natural skin beauty. Currently, the trend for cosmetic preparations have been to more natural-looking make-ups. In particular, one of the long-sought goals has been the development of a foundation that does not give the user a “made-up” look. In reality, however, it is difficult to accomplish the goal of achieving coverage of flaws and unevenness of skin tone, while still maintaining the vibrant look of clean bare skin. This is primarily because those components of makeups which provide the desired color and coverage, such as the titanium or iron oxide pigments, are largely opaque, and therefore obscure that sought-after vibrant transparency. Although in recent years, transparent pigments have become available, the coverage needed to mask flaws in the surface of the skin is frequently lacking.
There remains a need for cosmetic preparations that convey the perception that the user's skin has less wrinkles and less cellulite and less imperfections, obscuring discolorations to the skin and/or reducing skin blotchiness through the use of optically-activated and bonded particles. These optically-activated particles will allow for the emission and reflection of light and increase the diffusion of light to accomplish the foregoing.